Thomas Ridgway, a photography teacher at the £56,000-a-year Heathfield School in Ascot, Berkshire, has been banned from the profession after failing to tell bosses that his fiance was a registered child sex offender.
Ridgway did not notify the school that his partner had been convicted of 10 counts of sexual activity with a minor in 2023.
Tribunal finds no regret or remorse
A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) tribunal found that Ridgway had shown no “regret” or “remorse” for the non-disclosure, adding: “The focus… was on himself.”
The 31-year-old denied withholding the information, despite previously telling the school “I have known since the start” and “we have always been open about things”, according to meeting-minutes seen by the TRA panel.
Partner convicted and sentenced
Ridgway’s partner, who will be on the sex offenders’ register for life, was convicted on June 19 2023 and sentenced to an unspecified term of imprisonment on December 6 that year, the tribunal heard.
The school was first notified of the convictions on December 15 2023 following an email from a member of the public referencing “sexual assault against three boys”.
Ridgway, who taught at the all-girls private school between September 2023 and February 2024, met with staff “straight away” where he “repeatedly apologised”. He said a relative of his partner, who had been supporting him through the ordeal, told him not to tell the school.
School meetings and suspension
In another meeting with the school on January 12 2024, Ridgway said: “I was not aware of all the ins and outs, but I was aware of things that had occurred previously.”
Ridgway was suspended from the school on January 30 2024 and resigned from his position on February 19 2024. He told the panel he was not aware of the specific allegations against his spouse-to-be except that they were “very serious”. He claimed that his fiance never allowed him to attend any court appearance, police interview or solicitor appointment.
In his evidence, Ridgway’s partner said he never “fully discussed the situation” with him and would only say that “my solicitor was now on the case”.
Panel findings and ban
The panel found that Ridgway did not deliberately set out to mislead the school but concluded that his non-disclosure was “naïve” and a “derogation of duty”.
It said: “The panel considered that, in these proceedings, Mr Ridgway had sought to downplay what he knew... The panel concluded that it was more likely than not that he had a greater knowledge of events than he now sought to portray.
“Not least, he was full and candid in his admissions to the School in December 2023 and January 2024, which he now sought to resile from by providing a particular narrative in these proceedings.”
It added: “(the panel) was also satisfied that at some point after December 6 2023, he was aware of the full circumstances of the offences, including that they involved sexual offences against children, and did not disclose those details to the school.”
The panel also said Ridgway, who did not give evidence in his defence, was “deeply affected” by his partner’s imprisonment.
It did not suggest an indefinite ban, but this was overruled by a senior TRA official acting on the behalf of the Education Secretary, who said a prohibition order was “proportionate” and in the “public interest”.
He said: “This is because there remains a risk of repetition of the conduct, for which Mr Ridgway has (shown) little evidence of insight and remorse, and the safeguarding impact future repetitions may have on pupils.”
Ridgway is banned indefinitely from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
